I'm not part of your machine... | Transformers Prime | Soundwave Centric

15 - My Daughters Growing Up/But you should know that I'm sorry

She tilted her head at them, something they noticed she'd been doing more often the more time she spent talking to them and Laserbeak, and asked. "That can't be it can it?"

They shook their helm, "Answer: Not finished." 

Miko leaned in, resting her elbows on their leg. Her interest shown bright in her eyes.

"Soundwave: Enjoys the company."

"Awww! You like us!" Miko jumped up off them and dashed towards the rest of her friends shouting about Soundwave. "Guys! Guys! Guys! Guess What! Guess What!! Soundwave likes having us around! They told me so--!!"

Soundwave shook their head fondly at Miko, not upset at her bursting from excitement and breaking what she previously promised.

"You know. You're never going to hear the end of that." Ratchet chimed in from his workbench.

"Ratchet: Should shut his intake. Soundwave: will soder it closed." They whispered an empty threat at the medic, who in turn laughed at Soundwave's lack of embarrassment.

Ratchet sighed, "You really are similar to a certain human mother-- Without all that flirting of course."

"Soundwave: Could." Ratchet could hear the smirk in their voice as Soundwave spoke.

Ratchet let out a half-laugh-half-cackle at the suggestion, "I suggest you don't, might get a wrench to your helm-- And a Prime's fatherly disappointment."  

The two bots continued to jab at each other playfully as the other group of youths watched on in wonder. Some were processing the new confirmation of Soundwave's fondness of them, some watching the silly interaction between the stonecold yet angry medic and scarily quiet yet expressive spy with glee, others simply ignoring the current going ons in favor of games they were in the middle of. 

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For the first time in what felt like forever, Soundwave exited the base. The sightings of Decepticons were low and both Ratchet and Optimus had some spare time. 

So, this is where they found themselves; staring blankly at the desert in front of them and the sound of their longtime friends and ex-enemies shuffling about near them. A notification pooped up in the side of their vision... a memory file! From a few orbital cycles after they met the medic and prime.

Laughter sounded coming from a future doctor doubled over begging the mech to stop, "Soundwave--! Please--!"

Megatronous whipped around and glared at them accusatorily, catching them in the act of mimicking him. "Soundwave! How dare you-- I've been betrayed by one of my most loyal friends!" The warrior feigned offense and dramatized his reaction.

Orion leaned against the closest wall, failing miserably at hiding his laughter.

Soundwave laughed and gently pushed the silver mech away from them. "Megs: Often Predictable."

"Oh really, now?" The mech looked at the other challenging.

Rathcet, a now much more composed mech, slid a servo down his face mumbling, "Oh primus..."

Megs lunged at Soundwave, and the two play fought for a bit. Eventually, Soundwave ended up on the ground.

"Megatronous: Cheats."

The winner huffed, "I beat you fair and square 'Mr. Secret DJ,"

Soundwave gasped with mock offense.

Orion finally chimed in, "Okay, okay, calm down you two. Let's not have Racht use his training today..." The archivist trailed off the two fighters already up and ready to tackle him. 

"Please don't-!"

Soundwave blinked away the memory the best they could... it was nice to remember, but... They glanced back at Optimus and Ratchet, the two were no longer the young bots they used to be. The whole group had changed... Two were merely shadows of who they used to be, and the other two had grown into their roles...

Later that very day, the four friends huddled together at one of their living quarters, most likely Orion's, they didn't bother to check. Megatronous lay with his back plating against the wall, Orion deep in recharge leaning against his shoulder, Rachet quietly studying on the other side of the warrior. Meanwhile, Soundwave sat just adjacent to the pile, a small silent purple and gray protoform in their servos.

"There's two of them right?"

Soundwave nodded, materializing the second red and grey youngling from wherever they fit on their frame.

Megatronous nodded, "They're quite precious. Have you come up with any designations?"

They shrugged, eventually shaking their helm. 

"Hmm... maybe something like Fritzy? For the purple one?"

They deadpanned at Megs.

"Maybe Ripple for the other one?"

"Positively not."

He shrugged, "I don't know. I've never been good at naming things."

Ratchet chimed, "Clearly."

Soundwave let out a sigh. Laying themselves and the younglings on top of the bot-pile's pedes to join them properly. "Soundwave: will figure it out later. Soundwave: Needs recharge."

"Uh-huh. You do that." Megatronous hummed, turning his head to talk to Ratchet.

Megatron... was kind, caring even... But what happened? He was changing even before the purple energon... where had Megatronous gone? Had Megatron and Megatronous ever been the same bot?

Soundwave sighed heavily, turning to their friends. They wave to two down.

"What's wrong, Soundwave?" Ratchet was the first to ask.

Their voice box struggled to get the sounds out, their question being asked in half English and Kaonian. "Query... What happened-- to Megatronous..? What went wrong?"

Optimus took a sharp breath in at the question, "Soundwave-" He assumed the worst at the question, had Megatron done more than they thought? Oh dear--

"No." Soundwave interrupted the Prime. "Query: Somewhat Rhetorical. "

He nodded, "Ah. Then... I wouldn't know"

Ratchet spoke, "We can never really be sure what's going on in that-- that--..." He paused taking a breath to keep his own anger at the sliver bot at bay, "In his helm. But it's very unlikely he will ever be the same."

Soundwave nodded, "Megatron's outcome: Inevitable."

"I would hope to primus not, but we can't be sure." Ratchet sighed, and Optimus patted the bot on the shoulder. Then the medic continued, "Soundwave, what brought this question on?"

Soundwave just shook their helm at the two bots, "Source: Does not matter." Soundwave glanced behind the two at the now-setting sun, remembering the nights the four would race each other around the Kaon streets. 

The two bots followed Soundwave, assumed line of sight,  spotting the setting sun. Similar nostalgic feelings emerge in them as well.

"Query: Race?"

"Got nothing better to do."

"I don't see why not."

The three transformed and took themselves on a short race around the desert, the three yelling back and forth at each other. For a moment they could take a break from the war they had been engaged in for so, so long, and take back some of the youth they lost to it. They returned to base that night joking and laughing, with the smallest hint of a somber tone to some comments.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───